"Carlo always spoke to me, told me what to do on the field. If I have to improve [now] then [Allegri] has to recommend how. Champions must always move forward, they are expected to be the best," he snapped to Corriere dello Sport.

“Every now and then Allegri will explain something to me, but a Coach should always suggest to his players how to correct defects.

“I would like to have a more direct relationship with Allegri, I won’t say much more. If he thinks it is right to criticise me then I have to keep my head down and work. I have to respect what the Coach says.

“The fact remains, however, that if he has noticed something wrong with my game then he would be better to come directly to me so we can discuss it together.”